Our approach to design

The important choices of the design phase

At DILLING, we have a clear stance on the way we design clothes. We also know that about 80 percent of the environmental impact is determined in the design phase.*

It’s the respect for people, the environment, and animals that guide our designers when choosing what materials to use, how to colour the garments, and ensuring the high quality we desire. The design choices made at the beginning of a garment's life affect its lifespan and afterlife – and even the smallest details like zippers, labels, and thread matter.

We strive to design clothes with a timeless and subtle expression, so you will love wearing them for many years to come.

*Source: European Commission, 2022.

100% wool

Wool is a stretchable material that suits many different body types. It has a unique ability to stretch and shrink again after being washed. Some of our wool products are more stretchable than others – depending on the knitting technique – but they are all reflecting our desire to design for humans instead of a narrow target group with specific measurements. Woollen clothing will grow with your child, and adults of different sizes can wear our wool for many years. In this way, the design can help reduce the high clothing consumption worldwide and the amount of clothes produced every year.

Fit

Wool is a stretchable material that suits many different body types. It has a unique ability to stretch and shrink again after being washed. Some of our wool products are more stretchable than others – depending on the knitting technique – but they are all reflecting our desire to design for humans instead of a narrow target group with specific measurements. Woollen clothing will grow with your child, and adults of different sizes can wear our wool for many years. In this way, the design can help reduce the high clothing consumption worldwide and the amount of clothes produced every year.

Gently dyed in nature’s colours

At DILLING, we design clothing in colours inspired by the nature we strive to protect. This is reflected in the way we dye our garments at our dyehouse in Denmark, only using dyes that are approved by Ecolabelling Denmark and without any harmful chemicals or heavy metals.

This means we cannot – and will not – create clothing in bright, trend-driven colours and patterns that require harsh chemicals. Instead, we introduce a carefully selected range of new designs each year.

Accessories have been carefully considered as well

Every detail of a new design is considered – even the smallest parts such as our accessories, also called ‘trim’, i.e., everything from zippers, buttons, and threads to labels, toggles, and ribbons.

It’s important to us that our clothing last a long time and we need the trims to do the same. We test our products in-house to make sure that they can stand the wear and tear of everyday use – and the same goes for our trims, of course.

All accessories are OEKO-TEX® certified. It's the certificate we have been able to find on accessories that provides the highest possible assurance of quality and responsibility for production and consumers.

Few new collections a year

We only have a few new collections a year, instead of launching many new products that follow shifting trends – known as ‘fast fashion’. We sell many of our classic designs for years and do not create new designs based on seasonal trends and with prints that go out of style a few months later. Instead, we create timeless clothing that can live for a long time. We don’t need embellishment – we want to let the products stand on their own and rather speak with the quality and the structure of the material.

No external retailers

Good quality takes time. We don’t collaborate with external retailers, so there is no one breathing down our necks with tight deadlines and demands for new products. We work with each design until we’re fully satisfied and convinced that it can be used for many years to come. We only sell our products online through our own websites, so we don’t produce and ship sale samples back and forth between us and retailers who must decide whether they want to purchase the clothing.

Recycled fibres

By working with 100% pure merino wool, the garment is easier to recycle once it has reached the end of its life.

However, recycling clothes or using recycled fibres in new clothing is not the best solution. The quality of the material decreases when it’s recycled and transporting the clothing to the factory for mechanical or chemical recycling will lead to resource waste. Therefore, recycling is not the preferable solution according to the EU's waste hierarchy. The higher the initial quality of the garment, the longer it will be before it needs to be recycled.

At DILLING, we only use recycled fibres where it makes sense – such as our softshell products, where regenerated nylon creates a durable and long-lasting product.

In the bigger picture, it’s all about buying less clothes of better quality – and, before sending it to a recycling facility, trying to repair it if possible, passing them on to a second-hand store or reselling them.

Durability and repair

Our wool clothing is made from natural fibres and won't last forever. However, you can repair the clothes if a small hole appears. It doesn't diminish the functionality of the wool. Creative repairs and embroidery can be used to create a unique expression on your clothes. It doesn't have to be perfect; clothes can show signs of wear and signal that they have been loved and greatly utilised.

In our repair guide, you can find inspiration on how to repair your clothes.